‘The Nativity Story’ meets ‘The Secret Lives of Pets’ probably sounds like a good idea to some people.

Steven D. Greydanus

Two of my favorite Bible movies are animated films that came out within a couple of years of each other nearly two decades ago.

One is the brilliant 2000 stop-motion Jesus movie The Miracle Maker, co-created by U.K. and Russian animators who also collaborated on a series of Old Testament shorts (Testament: The Bible in Animation). The other is DreamWorks’ terrific hand-drawn musical-comedy-adventure Moses movie, The Prince of Egypt.

I would love to expand this brief list by adding the computer-animated The Star, from Sony’s faith-based Affirm Films imprint. For one thing, families looking to supplement secular seasonal viewing like Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story and for all I know Die Hard (who am I to judge?) with something having to do with the birth of Jesus have limited options.

For another, one doesn’t see many Bible movies nowadays with a cast that includes the likes of Christopher Plummer, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Kristofferson, Patricia Heaton, Ving Rhames and Mariah Carey.

Attentive kids may notice that St. Joseph (Zachary Levi) sounds just like Flynn Rider from Tangled. Some parents might recognize the Virgin Mary’s voice (Gina Rodriguez) as the title character in the CW’s Jane the Virgin. The protagonist, Bo the donkey, is voiced by Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead. Bo’s best friend, Dave the pigeon, is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, who starred in Comedy Central’s Key & Peele.

Finally, director and animator Timothy Reckart is a talented filmmaker as well as a devout Catholic. Ever since I saw his Oscar-nominated 2012 short Head Over Heels in theaters, I’ve wondered what he might do with a feature film.

I expect The Star, which retells the story of the birth of Jesus as a talking-animal comedy about a miniature donkey who wants to be a part of something big and important, will wind up in annual holiday viewing in many households. It’s a little like The Nativity Story meets The Secret Life of Pets, which probably sounds like a winning formula to some people.

If you think The Secret Life of Pets is as mediocre as I think it is, you may be less charmed. Both films are full of haphazard plotting and lame gags. Oh, and both include mean characters who are redeemed by narrative fiat, with no emotional arc or narrative reckoning, a kind of cheap grace.

The low point, unless it’s one of the long lineup of butt/poop gags, may be the contrived “We’re Not a Team” crisis, in which characters who have banded together fall out amid hard words and go their separate ways. You know, like the “There’s no ‘we’ this time, pal” moment in Monsters, Inc. Or the “Code: I’ll just pack my things and go!” scene in Megamind.

Of course the “Not a Team” crisis is inevitably followed by the “I’m Sorry I Said That” reunion. In this case, our donkey and dove team, Bo and Dave, have joined forces with a chipper sheep named Ruth (SNL’s Aidy Bryant) who guides Bo, sort of, past treacherous cliffs to help reunite him with Joseph and Mary. But the reunion ends badly, and Bo snaps at Ruth, “I never should have followed you in the first place!”

Another stock scene, which could be called “I Got This,” involves a cocky male who disregards a sensible woman’s cautions, leading to embarrassing comeuppance. The cocky male in this case, alas, is Joseph, whose confident stretching and neck-cracking before trying to throw a rope around an unwilling Bo’s neck while a concerned Mary looks on is a sure sign that he’s going to take one pratfall after another.

Slapstick and rude humor have their place, potentially even in a Bible movie (The Prince of Egypt has both). Still, casting Joseph as the cocky male falling on his face is disconcerting. On a similar note, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth has more than one cutting line for her not-very-venerable husband Zechariah. (Parting shot: “I think I liked you better when you couldn’t talk.”)

Come to think of it, the motif of male comeuppance is echoed among the animals. Bo and Dave loftily disregard Ruth the sheep, whom they regard as beneath their notice — until they realize that they need her as a guide.

Then there’s Tracy Morgan and Tyler Perry as a couple of male camels who are incredulously derisive of anything said by Oprah’s camel Deborah. This, despite the fact that Deborah’s utterances are infallibly, even prophetically correct. Meanwhile, the males inanely debate one topic after another while Deborah tolerantly looks on.

There are some nice bits. In spite of his initially antagonistic relationship with Bo, Joseph comes across as likable and earnest. Both Mary and Joseph exhibit a winsome uncertainty at times. Mary wonders how to explain to Joseph what’s happening, reassuring herself, “It’s all good news, all good news.”

Joseph’s response to Mary’s good news is not doubt or anger, as it has so often been depicted, but self-doubt: Is a lowly carpenter up to the task? Later there’s a moving scene in which Mary grapples with deepening realization that while God has a plan, that doesn’t mean it won’t be hard.

But The Star undercuts some of the big things. The film opens with the Annunciation (“9 months B.C.,” per a witty caption), and the angel is shrewdly portrayed as a shimmering brightness without definite form. But the angel’s lines are rushed and matter-of-fact, and the whole scene seems hurried and muted. Consider the numinous awe of the burning bush in The Prince of Egypt or the revelatory power of the baptism at the Jordan in The Miracle Maker. Why not go for something like that?

Overshadowing the proceedings is an immense, implacable, Terminator-like Roman soldier, accompanied by two ferocious dogs (Ving Rhames and Gariel Iglesias), dispatched by Herod (Plummer) to track down the mother of the unborn Messiah and “get rid of the problem.”

This gives the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem a pursuit/chase dimension, culminating in an action climax in Bethlehem — none of which comes to the attention of Joseph or Mary as they focus on the impending Nativity. The denouement offers a sort of redemption, but not an emotionally or dramatically satisfying sort.

To my mind, depicting the first act of the greatest story ever told as a dumb, formulaic Hollywood cartoon with a sassy pigeon shaking his tail feathers in viewers’ faces is a net loss, not a modest gain. These are not images I want in my kids’ minds in connection with the Christmas story, even if the movie appealed to them. (It doesn’t.)

In the end, what I liked best about The Star was the pastel-colored illustrations over the closing credits, depicting the child Jesus growing up. Was this trick of continuing the story over the closing credits borrowed by American animators from Japanese animated films like those of Studio Ghibli?

Whatever the case, such closing images often evoke a kind of aimless, charmingly picturesque quality that runs through entire films like My Neighbor Totoro. If only American animators would learn to approach this quality in their storytelling.

Sorry, friend, I’m afraid I can’t make head or tail of what you’re trying to ask or imply.

Posted by lyle on Sunday, Nov, 26, 2017 2:03 PM (EST):

So tell us Steven, which religious affiliate group did come to be the major movie industry players in the USA in its origination?
People in the making of movies, were told by Catholic influence they should stay away from the movie making industry.
and, you would have to admit the movie industry has brought a grave demise to the USA social standards, or contributed to our moral and ethical bankrupt society of today.
Two key examples of movie industry demise, the glorification of war, the glorification of murder, which the USA exterminates millions of humans, by war currently. With borrowed money, defiant to Catholic doctrine at every avenue.
And, the society of must have, to acceptance to borrowing of money, unbridled capitalism what has financially bankrupted the USA..

It takes a pretty tough person to stand against the corruption of today, when so many profit from it. and its recognized Jesus stood against the corrupt, and was nailed to the cross for.
does your book explain what the Jewish gained in killing their king?

My last comment cites facts that disprove your claim. You can check these and other facts that contradict your claim in New Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Church and film. I should know. I wrote it.

Posted by lyle on Sunday, Nov, 26, 2017 9:44 AM (EST):

Steven, yes early Catholic leaders have recognized that what sells movies, is perversion in all its forms, yes stay away from the industry, as well as TV is recognized as an evil as well by the educated, Catholic.
And today, internet, is recognized as a perversion, an addition (pornography) that now has placed an evil grip on our youngest generation, on up, captivating them as example. the games of extermination of others, is very dominating, very damaging.

to have the discipline to refrain, stay away that which leads to perversion, is now none existent in our society. Penance and reconciliation, as moral and ethics, commonsense, now taboo in the USA.
Proven by the bigotry, hate, revenge, death that vomits from “assumed” Catholic leaders toward the Islamic, or denial of our Catholic Brothers and Sisters across all of America itself, most directly in Mexico, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.

You are mistaken. At no time in cinema history has the message of the Catholic Church to Catholics ever been “Stay away from the movies.”

By 1910 the first film lists for Catholic theaters and filmgoers were being published in Italy. In 1923, a film committee formed by the U.S. bishops began publishing monthly lists of approved films. This work continued in the Legion of Decency, founded in 1934 and praised by Pope Pius XI in 1936. This work eventually passed to the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting (for which I wrote some reviews) and finally to the movie reviewing office of Catholic News Service.

At no time has the Church ever taken the stance “Movies are immoral and Catholics should stay away from them.”

Posted by lyle on Saturday, Nov, 25, 2017 12:37 PM (EST):

Its an interesting read to see promotion of the movie industry, when its always been known immorality, perverted mind of thought, ludicrous sells movies. Christians/Catholics were told to stay away from the Movie industry, and what it promoted. Yet today, National Catholic register promotes the, Movie Industry..

As for going to church, its hard to believe their was a time when not going to church was even seen as an option. Not going to church, never crossed Children’s minds, it was the path to Hell, the wide Path… Today, United States “assumed” Catholic leaders promote, bring up, suggest, that which is in a more educated times, or when people “Knew right from Wrong”, the Path to Hell themselves.
That is proven by the daily promotion to the Islamic, of death, extermination by “assumed” Catholic leaders in the USA. For the war is a disease, bigotry is a disease of the United States of America, promoted by “assumed” Catholic like no other humans in the world.

Posted by Jane Horwitz on Monday, Nov, 20, 2017 2:10 PM (EST):

Director Timothy Reckart’s The Star turns the greatest story ever told into just another kids’ movie.

Posted by John on Monday, Nov, 20, 2017 11:26 AM (EST):

Just another misandry laden men bashing movie from Hollywood. Next up? Try a crucifixion scene with a cowardly prat falling Jesus bolstered by the ever strong Women like Mary, Martha and the other Mary in order to save the world from sin. Let’s leave scripture truth, the magisterium and church tradition out of this. All men are disposable fools. Hollywood says so.

Posted by Carol on Monday, Nov, 20, 2017 11:23 AM (EST):

The movie has to be “dumbed down” because if it’s too Christian-y, people will be “offended” and tell their friends not to go. It has to have schlock formula humor because people (including children) live on a steady diet of sit-com potty humor and sexual innuendo. And of course, it goes without saying that Joseph, being a man and a dad, must come off as at least ineffectual.
Just more of the same with a slightly different face. I don’t think we should just be happy that there’s something that mentions the name of Jesus. I think we should ask and expect a lot more. If we’re happy with this, this is what we’ll get.

Posted by Joeph Lukowski on Monday, Nov, 20, 2017 6:01 AM (EST):

I guess you cant please everyone.

Posted by Howard on Sunday, Nov, 19, 2017 9:20 PM (EST):

A donkey-centric Nativity movie reminds me of “Small One”. What did you think of that movie? I know I liked it as a child, and I still remember the song “Clink clink, clank clank, Get the money to the bank,” but I haven’t seen the movie since what was probably its only run in theaters.

Posted by Ann on Sunday, Nov, 19, 2017 8:56 PM (EST):

You’re overthinking this one. It’s a kids movie. It tells the Nativity story in a respectful way with a second storyline involving cute, animated animals. The visuals were lovely…the landscape, the little towns. The music was also very good, I would have enjoyed hearing more of it and might even buy a few songs off the soundtrack. The Nativity scene was beautiful.

My kids liked it and I was happy to have something to see that tells the real story of Christmas.

Posted by Jane on Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 11:11 PM (EST):

My husband and I loved it. We got to see the screening earlier this week. We are bringing our four grandchildren to it. I think it’s fun and children will laugh and have fun. What’s wrong with that? I am a faithful Catholic and so are my grandchildren and their parents. I say, let’s have a little fun and enjoy the beautiful animation and the wonderful music. We all know it’s a cartoon and the real story of Jesus is just as beautiful; this is just animation.

Posted by JOHN GRONDELSKI on Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 2:55 PM (EST):

I, too, am divided: I saw this with my 10-year old yesterday. It’s good religion makes it on to the screen, but do we have to dumb everything down?

Posted by Donald Link on Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 12:41 PM (EST):

Jeannine is quite right. For all its shortcomings, I suppose we should be glad it was made at all. It does give parents and grandparents a chance to expound on the real story. There is little enough being made on biblical subjects today.

Posted by Wendy Gardner on Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 11:53 AM (EST):

“To my mind, depicting the first act of the greatest story ever told as a dumb, formulaic Hollywood cartoon with a sassy pigeon shaking his tail feathers in viewers’ faces is a net loss, not a modest gain. These are not images I want in my kids’ minds in connection with the Christmas story, even if the movie appealed to them. (It doesn’t.)”
From the very first moment this film was promoted, I was afraid that was exactly what we would be getting here. If my kids were little, I would never take them to see something like this. Joseph and Mary took our burdens on their shoulders until Jesus could assume them. They were not a sit-com couple.

Posted by Jeannine on Saturday, Nov, 18, 2017 12:23 AM (EST):

With a lukewarm spirituality in our marriage and three sons who no longer attend Mass, we got the opportunity to take our three (baptized) grandchildren to see The Star. It was important to remind them that Jesus’ birth is the real reason for Christmas, as they easily believe in unicorns and fairies. The movie will help cement the real reason when we have the grandchildren set up the nativity scene, and they recall some of the characters’ names. They laughed, were very attentive, and one got a little scared by the soldier. They enjoyed the movie and time with us. Some of the name choices provided additional Bible stories on the way to their house after the movie. I didn’t agree with your review, and I was happy to share that experience with our grandchildren . . . a movie that uses the word Jesus in a loving and positive way. I’ll take all the help I can get.

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